March 2015

January 09, 2015

It's our fifth and final day in our quest to create a successful start to keeping our resolutions. The last idea I had for keeping on top of my goals was to do a weekly check in. (Though I am keeping an open mind and allowing weekly to become monthly if becomes more guilt ridden than success celebrating.) I thought I might take a moment each Sunday night to evaluate the week past and set some specific goals for the week upcoming.

Having lived with myself for a very long time now, I have learned that pretty design yields increased participation. To that end, I decided to create a little scrapbook page for the weekly checkin. I think I will leave the color scheme for a month at a time and then change it up a bit with the seasons and the mood. But The basic design will stay, no matter.

In the top I can either add notes or photos documenting success. Something to help me know that I am moving forward. I also like to collect word art, so it might be a great place to store those, too. In tiny format. :)

With that I am going to declare myself prepared and ready for success. I have one specific goal, and one desired outcome. I have reminders around my house and my workstation. I have a portable means of keeping up with specific items and reminders. And I have a way to log my progress. With that, I am already feeling more organized. Better write that down on that pretty page up there...

December 11, 2014

Hi, Sue Althouse here today, with some ideas for scrapping your Christmas. Even though Christmas is an annual holiday, I can always find something that sets each year apart from all the others. Like the year a drunk man in a Santa suit came in off the street and disrupted Christmas Eve service at my mother in-law’s church. (true story) Or the year Dad got roller blades. (we had 911 on speed dial) You get the idea. Now, what will set your Christmas apart from all the others this year? Here are a few more examples.

One year, I had a simple plan to make a few Christmas cards for a few special people. Several weeks later, I had over 60 cards ready to mail! I don’t know where I lost control. Based on the number of people who took the time to tell me how much they loved their handmade card, it was worth it. But I’ve never attempted such a thing again.

Then there was the year I decided to go all out with my cookie-baking and made five different kinds of cookies using brand new recipes. My husband gladly helped me on this one or I never would have made it. The results were very successful, but I don’t plan on doing that again anytime soon.

Two years ago, there were heavy packages for me and my siblings from Dad, who usually leaves the gift giving to Mom. So that got our attention right away. We eagerly opened them to find on the inside...a brick. But we knew they were from our 1884 courthouse that had (sadly) been recently demolished. How many people would enjoy receiving a brick as much as we did? Now that’s some creative gift giving!

So I wonder what will define my Christmas this year. We have a new house to decorate and an 8-month old granddaughter to spoil. Both perfect candidates for a little excess, don’t you think?

December 01, 2014

The turkey is eaten, the shopping begun, the carols are playing on more than just the oldies station. All because it's December!

While each month seems to have its own identity, December's seems to be the most defined. This month our gallery is focusing on all things December. We hope you enjoy our new gallery,

We wanted to let you know, too, that our theme for our posts this month is "Remember." We look forward to sharing ideas with you about things we remember, and ways we can preserve the activities of the month to help us better remember them later. We hope you will join us each day.

But for now, let's look at our new gallery layouts. As alway, please feel free to jump over to the gallery album if you would like to see the layouts more closely and to read the journaling they contain. Enjoy!

A Note from AlizaThis layout is about what is on my mind this December. Sure, the holiday will be great when it gets here, but it might be playing second fiddle to Sam’s upcoming Bar Mitzvah (which actually isn’t until January).

December Fun FactI have started straightening my hair lately. It take a lot less time than I had imagined.

A Note from DianeThis layout came together quickly with the tags as the basis for my design. I love how crepe paper, gold, and vintage feeling papers and die cuts complement my photo.

December Fun FactIt is hard to believe that the end of another year is upon us. There have been so many changes for our family this year. I look forward to spending some time with those I love most this month while reflecting on how we've grown and changed this year and begin to think about the upcoming year too.

A Note from JenniferI’ve meant to tell this story for a while, but a lack of photos impeded my storytelling. I decided to make the journaling the showcase and create an embellishment cluster in lieu of a photo.

A Note from SueThis layout is about the signs that call me to the adventure of Christmas preparations. The list approach didn't even require any photos!

December Fun FactThis will be our first Christmas to celebrate with our granddaughter, who will be eight months old. We can hardly wait to share Christmas joys and traditions with this little one added to our family!

November 08, 2014

I hope you had a fun week and that your weekend is looking good! I really loved hanging out with you this week and thought, why should the party stop? let's do another day! So here we are for our sketchbook Saturday!

For today's post I went looking around the November gallery and spied a lovely layout by the fabulous Jennifer. I thought it would make a lovely sketch so I made one! :)

Here is Jennifer's original layout.

I must admit that I fell in love with the handdrawn circle. Sigh. Isn't it lovely? Mmm. It didn't translate as well in the sketch. Please look past the rigid nature of the circle.

Here is my layout. I'm sorry for the snow pics. It's not that I am hoping for an early winter, it's just that the photos were perfect for the layout.

I really loved this sketch and am certain you will be seeing another layout from it soon! I hope you enjoy it, too! Please remember I love seeing your layouts, too!

November 01, 2014

Halloween has been put to bed. And now the holiday season begins! With only 53 days until Christmas and 46 days until Hannukah, now begins the time when our surroundings are magnificently magical. No matter where you look, color, texture, sights and smells will greet us and envelope us in holiday spirit. This month we are encouraging you to look around and allow what you see to impact the pages you create. All month we will be inspired to create from that which surrounds us. We can't wait to inspire you, too, to

And to begin, may we present our November gallery, Glitter, Sparkle, Shine. Gold has made a tremendous comeback, and it, and all things metal and sparkle are anxious to take center stage on your pages. Please enjoy our glittery, sparkly, shiny pages! They are a wonderful start to our month and hope you feel inspired!

Leave a Little Sparkle | Jennifer Hignite

A Note from JenniferThis layout was so fun to put together! I love all of the gold and sparkle embellishments that are so popular right now! With three boys I don’t use them as often as I would like! The gallery this month was a fun challenge to push me out of my comfort zone and have fun with a little glitter, sparkle and shine!

November Fun FactNovember is always a favorite month in our house, because two of my boys celebrate birthdays this month!

A Note from CristinaBetween Project Life and December Daily (which I’ve done for 4 years, and counting) I rarely scrap Christmas pages, but I was inspired to create this one when I tried spraying that lovely wood veneer piece with gold mist.

November Fun FactI am so excited that my parents will come to visit us over Thanksgiving.. my dad hasn't made it over since 2008 so it’s going to be extra special!

A Note from JenniferI thought of this picture for the theme because of the sun shining on their hair. I’m giving this page to my mom for her birthday this month, so I cut pieces of pretty paper into 1x1 inch pieces and “quilted” them with diagonal stitching, an homage to my mom, a master quilter. I added more shine with gold sentiment stickers and a heart. As an English teacher, I’d like to say that the torn title has some symbolism, my mom living so far away and coming together with the boys to celebrate my son’s birthday, just like the letter t, but no—I just accidentally ripped it when I was inking it. Those die cuts are delicate little suckers.

November Fun FactMy favorite recipe in the fall is Butternut Squash Soup made with a bit of cayenne and cream cheese. Mmm!

My Bling | Lisa Borbely

A Note from LisaI don't think I have done a layout like this before, you know on this story. Since my bling is silver I wanted to have silvery bling on the page but I had gold glitter stickers. So I made my own with 3D glue squares that I punched with my small circle punch and poured silver glitter on top. Ah, the joys of being a crafter!

A Note from AlizaI will be honest, whatever the theme is for any given November, I am pretty sure that I will somehow fit Comic Con into that theme. I do like the way it came together this year. It feels authentic. I just pulled out lots of gold products that are oh, so trendy, but I had never managed to use. I kept the rest of the layout pretty neutral, just because if you are going to have a sparkly layout about boys dressed as super heroes, it seems like a prudent thing to do.

November Fun FactI have been wearing Dansko clogs for about 7 years straight, and I recently made a switch to Dr. Marten Mary Janes. What crazy thing will I do next?!

October 25, 2014

Are you having a fun month making use of the things in your desk, and drawers, and boxes, and closets? Are you falling back in love with a tidbit of a paper you had forgotten that you loved? If so, this month is already a success!

It is our final October Saturday. Which means there are only a few more days to stock up on candy and to prep those little witches and goblins! And it also means that today is our day to look back through our gallery and find some things to love and inspire. Got your notebook out? Perfect. Let's go make a list of ways to use our scraps!

Believe in Mischief | Amy Sorensen

Amy didn't just reach for scraps, she reached for the loveliest little bit of freebie scraps. We think her use of the manufacture strip is brilliant. And did we mention free? ('ish. you did have to buy the paper to get it... :) )

October 23, 2014

Hi, Sue here today, with my favorite way to use up leftover patterned papers. I’m pulling out my punches! Metal dies or a die cutting machine would work just as well, but nothing beats the speed and convenience of a basic punch. Let’s start today's tour with organic shapes. These are the shapes you find in nature.

Stars are such a fun shape with a variety of meanings. I have star punches in several sizes, as you can see on this layout. The larger stars were perfect for creating a quilted effect using scraps of patterned paper.

Cloud punches are another favorite. I dug into my blue scraps to create this collage that takes up one-third of the page. It might be hard to see, but a few of the clouds are mounted with pop dots while others are outlined in black marker. The small red butterflies (another punch!) add a touch of contrast.

Ah, heart punches. Can you have too many of those? (the correct answer is "no") On this layout, the hearts are placed atop geometric shapes. Yay for circles and squares! Yes, more punches, and some of my most-used.

I have some basic square punches that I consider essential scrapping tools. How else could you take leftover patterned paper from a Christmas collection and make a page about petting a camel at the Fall Fiber Festival? Punches are a great way to disguise themed papers and stretch their versatility.

The triangle pattern in the top and bottom borders of this page are repeated in the middle of the layout. I used my square punch and cut the shape across diagonally. A little stitching adds texture to the contrasting colors. Shape, color and texture: what endless possibilities!

Do you have a collection of punches? Do you still use them or are they gathering dust while you reach for that fancy die-cutting machine? (I’m guilty of that) I challenge you (and me) to take the quick and easy way next time you want to stretch your patterned paper scraps!

October 18, 2014

Hello and welcome to the middle of October! I hope you are having a colorful fall. I did pictures for a friend yesterday and had a moment alone in a grove of tall trees. The wind was blowing, the leaves were rustling, and the golden yellow of the leaves was matched only by the gold of the falling sun. It had been a hectic day, and as I stood I breathed deeply and felt my soul finding peace. I let the wind carry away my chaos and opened my eyes to a quieter me. I turned on my manual focus and took a series of out of focus shots that let the bokeh shine through. Suddenly everythng felt a little more doable. A little less mad. And a lot more lovely. A stop and smell the roses moment for certain. Coupled with a moment of creativity. Free therapy. :)

I hope you, too, can find a few minutes this weekend to enjoy the colors, smells, and sights of autumn.

To help you also have a few moments of productive creativity, I put together a sketch based upon Diane's layout, Juicy Juice, from our October gallery, .

I loved so much about this layout. First, Diane's use of color is second to none. And her handdrawn lines around the boxes is genius! So let's get to work making our own recreations!

Here is our sketch.

I didn't know when I first looked at her layout that each box was evenly sized--but they are! Now I am completely in love.

Here is my first use of the sketch.

I put this entire layout together with other patterned paper. Halloween papers, actually. And love them though I do, they were not right. I was very disappointed in how the layout turned out. The photos disappeared into the background. So I tried again with these softer hues. And was very pleased (and relieved!) with how it turned out. I added a pumpkin and a bat for a bit of Halloween. Sometimes you don't need to be hit over the head with the holiday, right?

The next one was super fun to put together. I started with a blue to bring out the blue accents on the shoes. And then the greys, yellows, and greens, just naturally appeared! Oh, it was almost summer again...

I did move the journaling down one square--it was fighting with the photo a little bit in its original location.

I want to let you know, too, that my son didn't give me one bit of trouble for scrapbooking his shoes!! Note to other parents of teens: document the wardrobe!!

Goodness, what a versatile sketch. I am looking forward to making a third layout with this, joining sets of square into some rectangles. I am curious to see how it would balance out with the squares. I will post you a link when I get it done!

As always, a pleasure having you stop by. I hope you have a lovely weekend! See you Monday!

October 11, 2014

Hello one and all! I hope that your week has been filled with apples, falling leaves, blue skies, and crispy air. I haev enjoyed the posts this week and have felt so inspired to make some layouts, and Halloween decor. Thank you, Aliza, Lisa, Valerie, and Amy for a fabulous week.

I was intrigued by her "quilting" on the top of the layout. The missing pieces. The patterns. Mmm. It was just so intricate and innovative. And an interesting way to incorporate the season!

Here is the sketch.

(There are mattes on the bottom photos if you look closely!)

I was so excited to get to work with the sketch. Picking and adding the photos was fast and easy. But then, boom! stuck. I tried a million papers with the triangles and colors and background papers, and then nearly gave up. But then, I remembered that the sketch police are on vacation and that I don't need to build it the same. And then I just knew exactly what to do.

I used stars to emulate the triangles, skipping one here and there to keep the part that I found so wonderfully whimsical. Then I took off the background paper and tada! I was in love. Hooray! It went from a struggle to a favorite. Just like that.

I hope you will try this sketch and see what you can do to make it your own and make it something you love. Thank you for coming by!!